APODAL FISHES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. 
621 
Banks near Pensacola. It considerably resembles the East Indian 
Gallechelys marmoratus. 
Genus 12.— BASCANICHTHYS. 
Bascanichthys Jordan & Davis, gen. nov. ( Bascanium ). 
Type: Ccecula bascanium Jordan. 
Etymology: Bascanion , the black snake, from Baa/.avoq, malignant; 
t/Ouq, fish. 
This genus is very close to Callechelys, from which it differs in the 
presence of pectorals, the long subterete body, lower fins and plain 
coloration. Two species are known. 
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF BASCANICHTHYS. 
a. Pectoral tin a slender rudiment about as long as eye ; bead moderate ; body terete, 
the trunk a little longer than the tail ; teeth short, bluntish, recurved, uniserial * in 
each jaw, biserial on vomer; head 8$- to 9§- in head and trunk, 8 in tail ; snout 6 
to 7 in head ; eye 2 in snout, a little behind the middle of cleft, which is contained 
in the head 3§ times ; lower jaw extending forward to middle of snout ; distance 
from tip of suout to beginning of dorsal contained a little over two times in head ; 
gill-openings vertical, their length about equal to breadth of isthmus ; lateral line 
curved over the opercular region, the pores distant and well separated. Color 
brown above, lighter below, front of head more or less mottled ; dorsal and anal 
fins pale without dark margins Scuticaris, 54. 
la. Pectoral fins moderately developed, broader than long, nearly as long as snout; 
head very short ; body extremely slender, subterete, its greatest depth little more 
than two-fifths of head ; head short, 11^ in head and trunk ; 22-£ in total length; 
eye more than half the length of snout, placed over the middle of upper jaw; 
lower jaw thin, included, not extending to the anterior nostril; snout 7 iu head; 
gill-opening as wide as isthmus; dorsal fiavery low, beginning midway bet ween 
front of eye and gill-openings. Color dark brown, nearly uniform, fins paler. 
Bascanium, 55. 
54. BASCANICHTHYS SCUTICARIS. 
Sphagebranchus scuticaris Goode & Beau, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., 343, 1879 (Cedar 
Key, Fla.). 
Ccecula scuticaris Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 358, 1883; Jordan, Proc. Acad. 
Nat. Sci. Phila., 42, 1884 (Egmont Key, Fla.). 
Sphagebranchus teres Goode & Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 436, 1882 (West Florida). 
Ccecula teres Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 897, 1883 (West Florida;. 
Habitat : West coast of Florida from Pensacola to Egmont Key. 
Etymology: Latin, scutica , a whip. 
This species is not rare in the Gulf of Mexico; the specimens ex- 
amined by us are from Egmont Key, Punta Rassa, and Pensacola. 
We have no doubt that the two nominal species, scuticaris and teres, 
are identical, as our specimens sufficiently agree with both descriptions. 
55. BASCANICHTHYS BASCANIUM. 
Ccecula bascanium Jordan, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 43, 1884 (Egmont Key, Fla.). 
Callechelys bascanium Jordan, Cat. Fish. N. A., 52, 1885. 
Habitat: Gulf of Mexico. 
Teeth biserial on one side of upper jaw in one specimen. 
